GULF SHORES, Alabama -- The City Council’s move to restrict the location of tattoo parlors and body-piercing studios has been delayed as the city looks to add other businesses to the mix.

While the issue of approving rules that would only allow tattoo and body-piercing businesses north of the Intracoastal Waterway was discussed at last week’s work session, the council did not put the measure on Monday’s regular meeting agenda. The move gives planning staff time to research possibly adding similar restrictions to pawn shops and cash-advance businesses.

“We’re going to have to segment them in a couple different (zoning) categories because they’re not all exactly the same,” Mayor Robert Craft said after Monday’s meeting. “And that will require a bit more work, but we’ll get there. It hadn’t dropped off, it just didn’t get done in time.”

The proposed regulations for the parlors would restrict new businesses from opening south of the canal while all existing shops would be grandfathered in. The new rules would also set the minimum distance between similar businesses to 1,000 feet and none could be closer than 500 feet to residences, schools or public parks.

In the meantime, no new tattoo businesses can open in the city as the council on Jan. 28 placed a 120-day moratorium on issuing new licenses.

Other Baldwin County cities are also looking at restricting businesses and they include Orange Beach, Fairhope, Daphne and Spanish Fort.